To ensure its researchers maintain the highest of ethical standards, the University of Cape Town (UCT) has become the first African university to adopt the Global Code of Conduct (GCC) for Research in Resource-Poor Settings.

The UCT Senate explained that the adoption of the GCC was an important statement of principles and procedures in terms of research ethics to be followed by researchers from the global north, when they research in Africa or other resource-poor settings.

The GCC aims to curb ‘ethics dumping’, which involves disseminating sensitive research not ethically accepted in the global north to the global south and other resource-poor settings.

UCT is the first to adopt the GCC in the global south and the third global adopter, following the adoption by the European Commission and the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership.

It was developed over the last four years by TRUST, a collaborative European Union-funded project, with UCT as a key partner.

UCT Associate Professor and one of the authors of the code Rachel Wynberg, said the university’s adoption of the GCC confirmed its ongoing commitment to transforming research and ethical, engaged and relevant research practice.